Tourist numbers surge across China over May Day holiday

(China Plus) This year's May Day holiday has come to an end in China. The three-day-holiday, which began on Saturday, has seen millions of people make stops at various tourist locations across the country, with short excursions said to be favored by most Chinese travellers this year. An estimated 130 million people, around one-tenth of China's population, decided to make a trip during this holiday weekend. Tourism numbers peaked on Sunday, the second day of the holiday, which saw an estimated 57.7 million tourist visits to attraction sites, 13 million passenger trips on the railway system, with total tourism revenues hitting an estimated 33 billion yuan. While over 50 million passengers traveled by train over the long weekend, a large number of tourists chose to travel by vehicle to suburban areas and nearby provinces. In Beijing's Miyun County, 70 hectares of golden rapeseed flowers were in full bloom, attracting visitors from across the capital. "The weather is good today, so I came here with my sister and her two kids to take photos. We feel great getting so close to nature," said one visitor. "We planted rapeseed in this large area to attract tourists this year. Tourists will be invited to the locals' houses to have meals, which increases the incomes for the locals. It also has a positive effect on the development of the village's folk tourism," said Li Liqin, a manager of the tourist site. In the coastal city of Weihai, natural scenery was mixed with artificial wonders. There, a special Sand Sculpture Festival was held, with more than 100 pieces of sand carvings on display over the weekend. According to a previous survey by China National Tourism Administration, the most popular destinations for the holiday included Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Xining and Lhasa, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. For overseas travel, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, as well as certian African countries, are continuing to be some of the top destinations for Chinese travellers. Source: China Plus by Liu Mohan from China Travel & Tourism News http://ift.tt/1iB6EFm